Opinion

Fossil fuel industry controls government

Letters to the Editor June 23, 2026

The world as we know it today was built on the back of burning fossil fuels. Unfortunately, this process has come at a tremendous cost. Emissions from burning fossil fuels are rapidly warming our world at a rate that has never occurred in the history of our planet. Why, then, do we continue to burn planet killing fossil fuels? One primary reason is the tremendous control the fossil fuel industry has over our government. The industry spends approximately $250 million dollars per year lobbying elected officials. The vast majority of this money goes to Republican officials and ...

Support urged for the Clean Streams Fund

Letters to the Editor June 22, 2026

Our state legislators should support the Clean Streams Fund in Pennsylvania’s Fiscal Year 2026-27 budget. Since its inception, this program has led to water quality and habitat outcomes throughout the Commonwealth, and continued support will benefit all Pennsylvanians, and perhaps most notably hunters, anglers and farmers. The programs funded by the Clean Streams Fund directly improve water quality through the implementation of practices like riparian forest buffers, streambank fencing, cover crops and manure management structures. These practices prevent pollutants like excessive ...

Altoona’s Wall needs to be saved

Letters to the Editor June 21, 2026

Altoona is lucky to have a replica of the Vietnam Wall at the Van Zandt VA Medical Center. Recently, I made a trip to the wall to visit with my cousin and friends who are always there on the wall. I could not find my cousin’s name, so I asked a man who was working on the Wall. He brought me to the office and searched panels stacked in a corner. He found the panel, one of a number that had been removed for repairs and re-cementing. We talked and I found out the VA provided the ground for the Wall, but no funds for upkeep or improvements. With all the American Legions and VFWs in ...

Lunch shaming has no place in our schools

Editorials June 19, 2026

June is the month when Pennsylvania public school districts finalize work on their budgets for the new fiscal year that begins July 1. It’s a busy time consisting of trying to grasp the best possible final estimates of incoming and outgoing revenue for the new fiscal calendar, settling on tax rates for the upcoming 12 months and identifying and implementing internal funds moves to ensure that, at least on paper, the budget has the semblance of balance. It’s also a time for reflecting on the fiscal/school year ending and the one that will be getting underway. Amid that exercise, ...

UPMC Altoona deserves recognition

Letters to the Editor June 18, 2026

Recently my family and I spent way more time at UPMC Altoona than we would have wished. Our beloved mother spent time in the ER, ICU, 7th Floor, and finally Palliative Care on the 14th floor. During the many weeks she was there, we encountered nothing but the most excellent medical care. Along with that, we never dealt with one single person who was not kind, considerate, empathetic, patient and skilled. The aides, the nurses, the doctors, even the people who cleaned the room, never saw us without asking if my mother needed anything or if WE needed anything. The security guards, ...

Mental health must be addressed

Letters to the Editor June 17, 2026

A never-ending calamity in progress: this is my view of our country’s rather pitiful address to mental health. How many more mass shootings, suicides, assaults, etc., will it take for our country to put mental illness completely at the forefront? In my opinion, at least 90% of the gun violence in our country is a result of mental health issues. Every time a television commercial appears espousing a “get quick fix” solution after taking a medicine for clinical depression for a few days, I cringe. The message this sends is that one only needs to take medicine, and nothing ...